On With The Show!

My 2015 birding adventures continued on Monday and started with a three hour spell at Cockersands - Bank End, but I make no apology for beginning with a rant about the two in the pics above  - three if we include the mutt with them - who decided it was more exciting to get out on to Plover Scar. He's taking pics by the way - probably just returned from Rossall Point - and she's got a red coat and red boots on for Gods sake!!....'Clik the pik' they look even worse. 

OK....so I'm being really kind to these three this time. I know freedom belongs to us all, and in any case it wasn't done as a malicious act, but I just wish they wouldn't do it, it disturbs the birds one of which could well have been the Desert Wheatear I've been looking for here for something like 150 years, so just bugger off....eh!! 

Before the aforementioned three above arrived I found c.180 waders on Plover Scar, seen as 100 Oystercatcher, 65 Turnstone, and 14 Ringed Plover, a single drake Eider was off here. In Bank Houses horse paddock, 8 Tree Sparrow, 3 Reed Bunting, a Dunnock and a local Kestrel seen. At Bank End, notable was c.3,000 Golden Plover roosting, and in a distant field NE of Bank End Farm, c.110 Whooper Swan were accompanied by at least 10 Bewick's Swan, back at Crook Cottage 18 Greenfinch seen, and that's a decent number in my book.

On Jeremy Lane a single Whooper Swan was with 75 Mute Swan. At Glasson Dock, 35 Goldeneye had taken up on the canal basin, and a Little Grebe seen. A Kingfisher obliged by flying across the basin towards the canal, only to return minutes later to fly across the swing bridge and lock to disappear over the dock. On the Lune Estuary, c.450 Black-tailed Godwit were a reminder of the build up of good numbers of the species seen here on the estuary last winter peaking at 900 by April, 700 of which had been on Conder Pool early in the day....in birding you don't ever forget amazing sights like that. Also c.2,000 Golden Plover, at least 400 Dunlin, 5 Goldeneye and a Little Grebe seen, the Snow Goose was distant on Colloway Marsh again. 

Conder Pool held just 6 Little Grebe and 3 Goldeneye. The 'sawbill' number on here increased to three today with the resident Red-breasted Merganser having been joined by a pair of Goosander.

The Brown Hare.

Brown Hare Brian Rafferty 

I've still not carried out my threat to start taking note again of the Brown Hare in the Glasson/Cockersands area, but I did see and note two together in the same field on Monday. Thanks to BR who's image fits the 'piks with a difference' bill perfectly.